I Forbid the Banns! — page 247: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ON BEING THOUGHT A SCOUNDREL. 237 called xstheticism came—and went. After several false alarms i velieve that society in London is given over to the worship of the Honest Doubter. He is usually a clergy- man with strong convictions. He cannot remain in the Established Church because his convictions are too strong, and he will not join any other Church because no other Church contains members that have precisely the same con- victions as his. The Honest Doubter is a clergyman who has weak brains, but strong convictions. He is the hero of the moment. But you could easily cut him out if you went to London. ‘The county families will ask no one to visit them who is in any way original ; but in town the original man or woman is the honored guest. In fact, the original man or woman is the cause of the assembling of guests. The hostess of to-day must have a lion on view before the other animals can be induced to visit her. Oh, they have no narrow-minded prejudices in London, on the subject of the private life of their lions ; and if now and again the beast turns and rends his hunters, no one minds much. There is no hunting lions without a little risk. That's a speech for you.” ‘‘T would consider that sort of fame in town worse than being boycotted in the country,” said Bertha. “ Never mind, my beloved ; we will not boycott each other, you and [.”’ “So, then, all’s well,” laughed Julian. He had almost come to believe that all was well. — He had counted the cost—roughly. He had not, of course, had a chance of going into the details of the matter carefully, but he had fully reckoned on being subjected to that isolation, which at one time was alluded to as Cov: entry, but which is now termed boycotting, so far as the county where he lived was concerned. He had traveled, and he had a mind of his own, consequently he knew that to be deprived of an occasional visit from people who had (EMMMICLOOlKS (EC)